Beer of Tomorrow

Pick of the Weekend 4/20-4/22

Monday is here, and it’s time to start another week. Pick of the Weekend is our weekly post where we recap our favorite brews of the week-end past…

Lots of good stuff was queued up for the weekend, including a predictably excellent bottle of Pliny the Elder, the Russian RiverBlind Pig IPA, and a tall-boy can of Oskar Blues‘ newest beer.

I had been looking forward to the bottle of Pliny all week, and I was not disappointed. The Russian River double IPA is one beer that, for me, lives up to the hype every time I have it. Instead of assaulting your palate with a hoppy “kick in the face” like so many DIPAs do, Pliny rolls over you with waves of layered hop flavors. It is the beer’s balance that I find most enjoyable; the complex malty sweetness stands up to all that bitterness without ever being cloying. And while the was the best pint I had all weekend, the real surprise for me was the Oskar BluesDeviant Dale’s Pale Ale.

This tall-boy canned American IPA was hands down the best beer I’ve had from Oskar Blues, and a real treat for hop-lovers. Just cracking the can filled the room with pungent hop aroma, and the flavors backed up the wonderful smell. Lots of citrus and pine with enough tropical fruit notes to really make the IPA stand out. This beer is just getting into distribution across California, and while the six-pack price might seem a little steep I highly recommend trying a can. If you don’t like it you can always send the rest to me.

What was your favorite brew from the weekend? Let’s hear about it in the comments!